Baja California Norte 2005/6 (Not Scott's trip!)

[Ursidae69]

Oops, I'll change those things EXCEPT the part about screaming like a girl! The damn crab ran between my legs and it startled me slightly. I might have uttered a few sounds as I avoided the little creature, but I didn't scream like a girl! :gunt:

 

[Scott Brady]

Great report Chuck! I always enjoy the details you go into on the fauna of the area and your sunset shots. Always stellar.

How did the Scepter cans work out?

 

[Ursidae69]

Great report Chuck! I always enjoy the details you go into on the fauna of the area and your sunset shots. Always stellar.

How did the Scepter cans work out?

The scepter cans were stellar! I'm really happy with the water cans and they fit nicely in back of the Tacoma. I had two NATO style gas cans and my one scepter gas can in the back, but everywhere we went, gas was readily available. Ended up never breaking into the extra fuel. Someplace near Gallop New Mexico I stopped and transferred the extra 15 gallons to my main tank using the super siphon you gave us at the EP Rally. That siphon ROCKS! It was fast and easy! Everyone should have a super siphon! I need to buy a second scepter gas can though, I'll do that later this year. :arabia: Thanks for the comments on the photos too, a couple of the shots I used were from the Brian twins too.

 

[goodtimes]

So I got a couple odd looks today as I was sitting in front of the Student Union reading your trip report Chuck.....the occasional laugh from some complete stranger staring at his computer is apparently not a everyday sight down here....oh well. Great report from a incredible trip...good job buddy! (even though you DID scream like a little school girl).

 

[Ursidae69]

Thanks Brian. I still laugh out loud every time I think about poor Cherokee trying to climb into your kayak!!! Too damn funny, she just wanted her daddy! If she would have pulled you over I seriously would have fallen right out of my kayak laughing. :shakin: Probably drowning myself... :exclaim:

 

[VikingVince]

Enoyed the pics and trip report, guys...sounds like you had good one...I'm envious of that remote, pristine beach you had to yourself...that's what I'd like from Baja...and reason to go back!!

Re the guy stuck in the sand with the new Ford... interesting...Brian broke his winch...you couldn't get him out...wow!...that must have been one distraught guy with the tide coming in...and you couldn't yank him out with straps either?...Brian, you're experienced with the winch...I just got a winch and am inexperienced re using it...are there any warning signs that it was overheating/overloading or does it just suddenly quit working?...commendable that you pushed your equipment to the limit and broke it to help the guy

When I go back to Baja for an extended "crash" somewhere, I will definitely have a kayak or inflatable with me...thanks for the report, amigos

 

[goodtimes]

Vince, the problem I had with my winch was not directly related to how bad this guy was stuck. The switch in the remote stopped working. I was able to power feed the cable out, but not in. I resolved this (temporarily) by taking the remote apart and switching the wires from "out" to "in", so the winch would power in, but not out (but it powered "in" from the "out" position....confused yet????). The big thing to watch out for equipment wise (safety is a different issue I'll touch on in a second), is heat. Simply put, if your winch motor is too hot to touch, it needs to cool off. I have not had any heat related problems with mine, even with long heavy pulls in the AZ summer temperatures.

Safety wise, the most basic thing that you have to watch for is what will happen if the cable breaks. There is alot of tension on the cable, and it will snap back....very possibly injuring or killing someone in the process. There are a TON of things that will contribute to this happening, but I cannot even begin to explain them all here, even if I possessed the knowledge of all of them. There are a couple of books on the subject, but IMO, it falls into a larger catagory of "vehicle recovery" that would also include use of straps, tow chains, various rigging methods, etc. It would be a disservice for me to try to explain it all. I believe George from Outback Extreme (one of Scott's generous sponsers, and a all around good guy) has some material on the subject. I'll have to look and see if I can find a link for you.

 

[VikingVince]

Brian,

thanks for the update on the winch issue with the stuck guy in Baja...yeah, I understand what happened. I'm familiar with the safety issues of using the winch and recovery procedures in general...just inexperienced in doing it...I've read ALOT of the material on winching and I have Bill Burke's Getting Unstuck DVD which has good winch techniques etc...but there's no substitue for field experience. I've read other accounts of remote controls malfunctioning...maybe a guy should carry two of those? good common sense tip on just touching the winch motor to see how hot it is...thanks, amigo

 

[Baja_Mike]

The problem with KORE is the price they are charging. I can get custom made springs and custom valved shocks for 1/3 of the price and have the same performance. Besides, they use leaf springs on the rear axle where I intend to use coils. I also am considering running coil overs on the front axle to give myself a little bit of adjustability on the front spring rate.

Sounds like you are looking at doing a lot of custom fab work. If you decide to stick with bolt on components another good source would be www.thecarlisuspension.com
Their prices are much better than kore and their systems work incredibly well.